Before Jiang Hongguo could trip over the threshold, Gu Changzong caught her.
His arm was strong, locking firmly around her upper body. No matter how she struggled, she couldn’t break free.
She thumped his solid chest in irritation. “You’re squeezing me! Let go.”
He immediately loosened his hold. He’d only been afraid she’d fall.
Still fuming, she returned to the room and flopped onto the reinforced bed.
Not a single creak.
She had no idea how he’d fixed it. When he’d been an educated youth, he hadn’t known carpentry.
Irritated, she turned over—
—and was suddenly pulled into a burning embrace.
The arms tightened. Heat spread.
Warm breath, along with faint stubble, brushed against her neck.
She tried to dodge and failed, only making herself itchier. This past month he’d grown careless with shaving. He always waited until she complained that his stubble scratched before trimming it.
That was different too.
When they’d lived separately, Educated Youth Gu never let a hint of stubble show. He shaved clean every single day.
“Changzong, wriggling like that makes me uncomfortable. Can’t you just hold me properly without moving?”
His body went still, as if confused, but he obediently held her quietly—no kisses, no wandering hands.
That was one good thing about him. When told, he listened.
Even if it didn’t always last.
Hongguo thought he deserved a reward.
Her father had once taught her how to train puppies—reward them when they obey.
Changzong felt like a big dog right now.
She turned to face him. Moonlight slipped faintly through the window, outlining his sharper, more defined features.
He was more handsome than a month ago.
That was certain.
She felt ashamed. How could she forget all about suspecting him just by looking at his face?
She kissed his handsome cheek lightly, then hurriedly shut her eyes, resting her hand on his lower back—where smooth muscle now traced firm lines.
When they’d lived apart, she’d secretly glimpsed him before. His waist had never been this taut.
And the old Educated Youth Gu would never have let her touch him like this.
She squeezed experimentally.
The feel was incredibly good.
“Guoguo…” His voice dropped low and restrained beside her ear. The hand at her waist caught hers, rubbing gently.
Startled, she scolded, “If you move again, I won’t kiss you.”
It worked.
The overly strong Changzong quieted.
After staying alert for a while, Hongguo finally relaxed and fell asleep.
…
Splash. Splash.
The sound of ladles of water drowned out the rooster crowing in the backyard.
The fierce rooster that once dared peck Hongguo now knew better. For the past month, whenever Changzong appeared, it hid atop the woodpile, wary—as if it understood he’d threatened more than once to twist its neck.
Though it had pecked her before, it had also fought off a vicious dog for her. It truly was a fierce bird.
Hongguo planned to let it grow old naturally. She didn’t intend to eat it.
Changzong knew that.
Otherwise, he’d have killed it already.
He was pouring cold water over himself. The bed, which had been burning hot, had cooled now. If only it were winter—it wouldn’t feel so chilly.
Hongguo peeked through the window, watching droplets slide down his defined shoulder blades and disappear into his waistband.
His young, powerful body looked far better than the village men who went bare-chested in summer.
Her face flushed.
Why was she becoming so focused on looks?
This kind of infatuation wasn’t right. Changzong still had problems. She couldn’t let herself be lulled.
The shorts he’d worn to bed last night were old. During their year apart, she’d sewn several outfits for Educated Youth Gu with her own hands—but he hadn’t appreciated them.
Would the current Changzong accept them?
She opened the trunk, took out a pair of shorts she’d made before, and ran to the backyard.
“Changzong, do you want this?”
Seeing new clothes for him, Gu Changzong immediately took them. Without even drying himself, he changed on the spot.
Hongguo flushed scarlet.
They’d done intimate things already, yes—but this was broad daylight, in the backyard.
“Go change in the room! And put your shirt on!”
He came out dressed and stood before her, as if waiting for something.
She blinked in confusion—then understood.
He was waiting for a reward.
Is he pretending? she wondered.
Still, she rose on tiptoe and gave his cheek a quick peck.
Reward received, Gu Changzong’s expression softened.
“Flatbread for breakfast?”
Eggs and green peppers mixed into batter and pan-fried into pancakes—delicious beyond words. He’d learned from her once and already surpassed her.
Hongguo nodded, retrieved two eggs from the coop, and handed them to him.
Without a word, Gu Changzong added two more.
More eggs made it taste better.
That was his hard-earned experience.
“Hongguo, you home?” Aunt Liu’s voice called from outside.
Of course she was home. It was breakfast time—where else would she be?
“We’re eating breakfast. What is it, Aunt Liu?”
Aunt Liu brought over four big white steamed buns. It was only after land had been contracted to individual households—when hard work finally meant better returns—that people could afford white flour buns like these.
She’d thought that was generous enough. But when she saw that Hongguo’s family was having pan-fried pancakes for breakfast, she realized their conditions were even better. Just the two of them—fewer mouths to feed, fewer expenses. And ever since Educated Youth Gu had suddenly stopped studying and started working diligently, even picking up odd jobs in the county, they’d become unexpectedly well-off.
Aunt Liu set down the buns, rubbed her lower back, and said with satisfaction, “Your uncle and I slept on the wooden frame bed last night and it collapsed. Tell Changzong to come help repair it later. Didn’t you hear it?”
“We slept in the west room last night,” Hongguo emphasized. “With a main hall and the east room in between, we couldn’t hear anything.”
Aunt Liu teased, “Then from now on you won’t hear anything either. We won’t have to feel embarrassed.”
You mean you won’t be able to eavesdrop on us anymore, Hongguo muttered inwardly.
“Aunt Liu, Changzong doesn’t know carpentry. He probably won’t be much help.”
“No one expects him to fix it. He’s strong, isn’t he? Just helping lift things will save us plenty of effort.”
“Alright. I’ll send him over after breakfast.”
Everyone in the village knew that the old Educated Youth Gu wasn’t good at carpentry. That was precisely why Hongguo had said it.
She didn’t want Changzong revealing too much.
She put away two of the buns so he wouldn’t overeat, then told him seriously, “When you go to Aunt Liu’s, be humble and learn from Uncle Yang. He’ll definitely praise you for having talent. You must act modest. Or just don’t talk.”
The old Educated Youth Gu had disliked chatting with villagers. When Aunt Liu came over, she usually spoke directly to Hongguo.
Gu Changzong’s eyes lit up. He nodded—and waited expectantly.
Not everything earned a reward.
Hongguo put on a stern face. “You don’t understand social niceties. I’m teaching you. No reward.”
Gu Changzong lowered his head and kissed her lips instead—lingering even after.
Hongguo burst out laughing in exasperation and shoved him away, grabbing a pancake to eat elsewhere. After finishing, she touched her lips.
This time the toothpaste they bought was good—the grassy scent lingered for a long while.
…
While fixing Aunt Liu’s bed, Aunt Wang came over with good news.
“My youngest son is getting married!”
“So soon? Didn’t they refuse before?”
Aunt Wang’s youngest had been secretly in love with Meng Qingdai from the neighboring village. A matchmaker had approached her family once, but they’d rejected the proposal.
“What a coincidence,” Aunt Wang beamed. “Hongguo, you should know. A month ago, your Educated Youth Gu was leaving to return to his hometown. Just outside the county, the bus rolled into a ditch. Meng Qingdai was on that bus too. My son helped rescue her, carried her out. After she recovered, she agreed to marry into our family. Didn’t even ask for bride price!”
Her face glowed with pride. Such a beautiful daughter-in-law, no bride price required—what an honor. And her son liked her too. Fate worked in mysterious ways.
A month ago…
Jiang Hongguo remembered clearly.
That day, Educated Youth Gu had packed his belongings and told her his family had been politically rehabilitated. He was going home and would come back for her after settling down.
She knew in her heart: once he left, he wouldn’t return.
Even though they’d been sleeping separately, as long as there was a man in the house, other men with wandering intentions wouldn’t dare climb over her courtyard wall.
She’d accompanied him to the county bus station, waving reluctantly as he boarded. Thinking of sleeping alone that night filled her with unease. She’d lingered, unwilling to leave.
Soon after, word spread that the bus had overturned outside town due to a collapsed roadbed. Rescue efforts were underway.
Educated Youth Gu had been on that bus.
She had no idea how badly he was hurt.
Hongguo shamelessly climbed into the ambulance heading to the rescue site.
There had been over a dozen passengers. Some severely injured, some able to crawl out themselves, some lightly hurt.
Gu Changzong had been lucky—just minor scrapes. He didn’t even go to the hospital. He came straight home with her.
After returning, he’d become passionate.
He started sneaking into her room at night.
And before Hongguo realized something was different, they’d already become a real married couple.
Meng Qingdai from the neighboring village had been badly injured, bedridden for over half a month. After leaving the hospital, she’d suddenly grown warm toward Aunt Wang’s son—and agreed to marry him.
A wedding was big news in the village. Everyone congratulated Aunt Wang.
Hongguo offered her congratulations too, but her eyes drifted toward Gu Changzong, watching for his reaction.
His eyelids drooped lazily. His hands kept working efficiently. The corners of his mouth didn’t even twitch.
As if none of it concerned him.
Meng Qingdai…
Back when he was still Educated Youth Gu, he’d once praised her for being a girl who loved studying.
After the college entrance exam was reinstated, Dayang Village had briefly run literacy classes. Even people from neighboring villages attended.
Meng Qingdai had been one of them—and she’d frequently sought guidance from Educated Youth Gu.
He’d treated Hongguo, who disliked studying, indifferently. Yet he’d been gentle and patient with Meng Qingdai.
Seeing Changzong so unmoved now, Hongguo felt a quiet spark of satisfaction.
After the bed was repaired and wedding gift contributions discussed, Hongguo and Changzong went home.
After lunch, he was about to head to the fields when she grabbed his arm.
“Changzong, Qingdai from the neighboring village is marrying into ours. What do you think?”
He shook his head. “I don’t think anything. It has nothing to do with us. What do you want for dinner? Should I catch a fish?”
Fish?
Hongguo liked fish very much.
She nodded and handed him the fishing rod. “Then come back early.”
It was the first time she’d ever asked him to return early.
Gu Changzong smiled.
By mid-afternoon, he returned carrying a four- or five-jin fish.
No one knew which pond he’d caught it from. Fortunately, now that land was contracted individually, it wasn’t collective property. Otherwise, that would’ve been considered stealing from the commune.
When villagers asked, he said he’d caught it with the rod—and since he had the rod with him, they simply assumed he’d been lucky.
Dinner was early because cooking was early.
There wasn’t a single television in Dayang Village. Power outages were frequent. Even reading required conserving kerosene for the lamp.
With nothing else to do, people slept early.
“Guoguo, are you full tonight?” Gu Changzong asked.